Darragh Crowley's injury-time thunderbolt rescues Cork City against Shamrock Rovers

Cork City 1 

Shamrock Rovers 1 

Turner’s Cross shook. From the noise, and from the release. Cork City, backs to the wall and staring at the trapdoor, reached for something they’ve rarely managed all year and found it: a performance worthy of their ground, their jersey, their crowd.

Not the three points they needed, but one point, that could be oh, so crucial.

Having gone behind in the 69th minute when Daniel Grant fired Rovers in front, it looked like their luck had run dry. Having hung with Rovers for so long, it looked as though City would suffer the cruellest of conclusions.

Until the 91st minute, when Darragh Crowley had something to say about it. Seemingly from nowhere, he let one fly from almost 30 yards out and found the roof of the net, sending Turner’s Cross into raptures.

Though there would be no dramatic winner, it was a superb performance from the home team. Against the league leaders, they threw themselves at everything, and fought right until the very end. They’ll feel frustrated not to have gotten the maximum haul of three, but so will Rovers. That was the nature of the game.

For the first 20 minutes, the pressure was on City. Shamrock Rovers had the ball and the angles, Cork City had Rory Feely. Four minutes gone he blocked Daniel Mandroiu’s shot with his face. Sixteen minutes gone he flung himself in again to intercept Rory Gaffney from tapping in.

City’s shape was sound, their press tight. Not enough to trouble the champions, but enough to hold the line. And as the half wore on the belief grew, the noise from the Shed growing louder with it.

The game had as many collisions as chances. Kaedyn Kamara received a booking for a full-blooded hit on Matthew Healy, then atoned for it with a brilliant sliding recovery block to divert a Rovers pass out a corner. Conor Brann rose and punched, Mandroiu blazed the loose ball into the night, and the Cross roared.

Josh Honohan’s late one on Seani Maguire in the 39th minute earned his umpteenth chorus of boos. Honohan had gone closest moments earlier when Mandroiu’s delivery skidded across the six-yard box, inches from his boot.

Still, City hunted for the counter. In the 45th minute, Alex Nolan stormed forward, won the ball and raced down the flank He played it through, but too far ahead of Evan McLaughlin – who stretched every sinew to reach the pass – but his square ball for Maguire was swallowed by the keeper.

Rovers broke on the counter from that, looking for another low cross in, but Anderson slid in to kill it, ensuring that parity remained at the break. The champions had the possession. City had the tackles, the noise, and the sense that something might just be on.

And so the second half kicked off in similar fashion, Darragh Crowley picking out Maguire with a stunning long ball. He thundered towards goal, closed the space – maybe a little too much – and Cory O’Sullivan stretched to block his effort.

In the 50th minute, City had another big opportunity, Crowley stealing possession after a Honohan slip, darting down the flank before picking out McLaughlin, whose shot from the edge of the box was just too high.

On the hour mark, after Graham Burke was booked for a late challenge on Feely, Bolger played it short to Crowley, who took it on from at least 35 yards out and was very close to finding the top corner, foreshadowing, as it would turn out.

But that would feel a long way away in the 69th minute, when former City defender Honohan burst down the flank, and squared it across the box. it sailed past numerous City defenders, finding Daniel Grant, and, on the edge of the box, the outcome was never in doubt. He fired to the bottom corner, leaving City with 21 minutes to save themselves.

Maguire went down in the box late on, but the penalty shouts from most of the 2,726 were ignored. Anderson played Murray through and he squared one in the 87th minute, but Daniel Cleary intercepted.

It looked as though there would be no Shed End party. The misty evening spoiled by Rovers.

Until Crowley had the final say.

CORK CITY: Brann; Kiernan, Feely, Anderson, Crowley; Bolger (S Murray 70), Kamara (Couto 73); Nelson, McLaughlin, Nolan (Lee 83); Maguire (c).

 

SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes (c), O’Sullivan; Grant, Watts (McEneff 68), Healy, Honohan; Mandroiu (O’Neill 83); Burke (Greene 83), Gaffney (McGovern 68).

 

Referee: A O’Dowd